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Plant of the Week
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Each week, In The Garden's Bryce Lane will introduce a different plant and its characteristics, scientific name, planting and growth requirements, and additional details about care of the plant. You can find the Plants of the Week from the current season below. To see Plants of the Week from each of the past seasons, click on the season list below.
Season 1 * Season 2 * Season 3 * Season 4 * Season 5 * Season 6 * Season 7 * Season 8 * Season 9
Current Season: Season 10
Common Name: Roselle
Scientific Name: Hibiscus sabdariffa ‘Roselle’
Type: Annual
Flowers: Small pale yellow flowers with dark red center
Fruit: Red calyces that can be used to make jam or tea
Foliage: Dark green leaves
Growth: 6-8ft. tall
Culture: Full sun to part shade
Other: Propagates true from seed
Episode 1002: Chocamocha Cosmos
Common Name: Chocamocha Cosmos
Scientific Name: Cosmos sanguineanus ‘Chocamocha’
Type: Annual
Flowers: Deep burgundy to dark brown flowers
Foliage: Dark green leaves
Growth: 10-12 inches tall
Culture: Full sun, Well-drained soil
Other: Deadheading will increase blooms
Episode 1003: Rising Sun Redbud
Common Name: Rising Sun Redbud
Scientific Name: Cercis canadensis ‘The Rising Sun’
Type: Flowering deciduous tree
Flowers: Small rosy pink flowers before the foliage emerges in early spring.
Foliage: Multi-colored leaves with the tips of new growth start peachy apricot, with leaves then turning chartreuse-yellow and finally deep green, all showing at once.
Growth: 12-15 ft. tall
Culture: Full sun to partial shade
Other: New addition to the eastern redbud family, Flowers attract bees and butterflies, Makes a great specimen plant for a small landscape
Episode 1004: Purple Loosestrife
**Purple Loosestrife is listed as a noxious weed in North Carolina and should not be used. For more information, visit the state's Regulatory Weed Program.
Episode 1005: Hello Yellow Butterfly Weed
Common Name: Hello Yellow Butterfly Weed
Scientific Name: Asclepias tuberosa ‘Hello Yellow’
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Flowers: Yellow
Growth: 18-24in. tall
Culture: Full sun
Other: Attracts butterflies, bees and hummingbirds
Episode 1006: Pink Polka Dot Plant
Common Name: Pink Polka Dot Plant
Scientific Name: Hypoestes phyllostachya
Type: Annual (also used as a houseplant)
Foliage: green leaves with a hint of burgundy & splotches of pink
Culture: Part sun (if growing outside); East or southeast window (if growing indoors)
Other: Can be used as a houseplant or an annual in a mixed border
Episode 1007: Firecracker Bush
Common Name: Firecracker Bush
Scientific Name: Bouvardia ternifolia
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Flowers: Clusters of tubular bright red to saffron orange Mid-summer
Growth: 2-3ft. tall
Habit: Upright
Culture: Full sun
Other: Attracts hummingbirds; Native to the southwest US region; Prune plant to prevent flopping
Common Name: Redwing
Scientific Name: Heteropterys glabra
Type: Woody vine
Flowers & Fruit: Small yellow to golden flowers appear in early summer quickly followed by bright red fruits that are double-winged samaras
Growth: 7-15ft. tall depending on the structure supporting it
Culture: Full sun to part shade
Other: Grows well in North Carolina
*One of the first plants featured in the Choice Plants program at the JC Raulston Arborteum
Episode 1009: Walker’s Low Catmint
Common Name: Walker’s Low Catmint
Scientific Name: Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Flowers: Small bluish purple flowers
Foliage: Bluish green leaves that are aromatic
Growth: 36 inches
Habit: Mounded
Culture: Full sun; well-drained soil
Other: No relation to catnip and does not attract cats; Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds
Common Name: Leopard Plant
Scientific Name: Farfugium japonicum ‘Aureomaculatum’
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Flowers: Stalks of small yellow flowers in October and November
Foliage: Shiny dark green leaves with yellow splotches; Kidney-shaped leaves
Growth: Clumps are 24” wide/ Stalks of flowers are about 30”
Habit: Clumps
Culture: Part shade to full shade; Well-drained soil
Other: Drought tolerant; Native to China and Japan; Grows well in central NC
Episode 1011: Jerusalem Cherry
Common Name: Jerusalem Cherry
Scientific Name: Solanum pseudocapsicum
Type: Can be used as a houseplant or an annual
Foliage: dark green leaves
Fruit: Red or yellow; Cherry-sized; Poisonous
Other: Jerusalem Cherry is in the nightshade or tomato family. Its fruit are poisonous so keep away from children and pets. Research plants before using them at home: NCDA&CS Regulatory Weed Program
Episode 1012: Florist Cyclamen
Common Name: Florist Cyclamen
Scientific Name: Cyclamen persicum
Type: Flowering tuberous herbaceous perennial
Flowers: Variety of colors: white, pink, purple, red; Blooms late winter to early spring; Flowers grow from stalks and reflex (turned backwards when opened).
Foliage: Heart-shaped clumps of dark green leaves with variegated blotching or veining
Other: Great plant for the Christmas holiday; Native to the eastern Mediterranean
Common Name: Sago Palm
Scientific Name: Cycas revoluta
Type: This plant resembles a palm, but it is a cycad family and not a true palm. Evergreen
Foliage: Deep green, shiny leaves that are sharp
Growth: 4-6ft., but it’s a very slow-growing plant
Culture: Full sun; Well-drained soil
Other: Zone 8 hardy; Can tolerate temperatures as low as 15-20° before damage; Roots can survive central NC winters if protected; Can also be used as a houseplant, particularly in winter